


Midwinter Magic

by wordsmithy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsmithy/pseuds/wordsmithy
Summary: Wooyoung is stuck in his dead end hometown. His best friend Yeosang, married the sweetest guy in San, and Wooyoung hopes to someday find that kind of love. But let's be honest, nothing great ever happens in a small town.
Relationships: Choi San/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

The first snowfall happened overnight. Wooyoung could tell from the early brightness that there was snow and he leapt from his bed to peek through his curtains as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Winter wonderland. Except he wasn’t that fond of driving through it, and he had an appointment with the resident city planner that morning. His best friend Yeosang was an urban planner on paper, but his true passion was taking over their small town every holiday to coordinate decorations and events. Yeosang was always the most excited for Christmas planning, and his delight for the season could make the most staunch of adults wonder if there was some truth to Santa Claus after all.

Pulling himself from his excited snowfall viewing, Wooyoung busied himself to start his day. Showered, groomed and clothed he picked up his bag and packed his notebooks and pens. He always ended up the scribe when he met with Yeosang. Considering eating something as his stomach groaned at him, he decided not to, knowing that Yeosang’s husband San would have cooked up something amazing for them for their get-together. San owned the best (and only) bakery in their small town. Loaf and Batter offered any baked good you could ask for, and a place to sit and enjoy with a cup of your caffeinated pleasure. Wooyoung found himself in the Loaf at least once a week for a thick sandwich and a cup of soup. He couldn’t say no to a pastry to go too, since San changed the menu with the season.

Their home smelled of ginger, cinnamon and something savory as Yeosang greeted him at the door with a smile and a hug. Wooyoung pulled off his coat hanging it by the door and stepped out of his winter boots. “Please tell me San made something amazing, I’m starving.” Yeosang just laughed with a roll of his eyes. “He’s been in the kitchen all morning for you. You know how he gets with company. Even best friends he sees almost every day.”  
“I can hear you!” San called from somewhere in the kitchen.  
Wooyoung and Yeosang were laughing as they entered the kitchen. Wooyoung instantly taking a seat at the kitchen island to look at the breakfast bake cooling there. San pulled a fresh tray of cinnamon rolls from the oven and set them beside the bake. “Oh my god, marry me,” Wooyoung looked up at San.  
San laughed, “I don’t think Yeosang’s into polygamy,” he teased his husband and got a glare in return, that turned into laughter as Yeosang took a seat next to Wooyoung.  
“I don’t ask you over here to flirt with my man you know,” he chided Wooyoung.  
“But you know I’m going to,” Wooyoung teased back as he heaped some of the bake onto the plate in front of him. “Apples, sweet potato, bacon, spinach, cheese. Ugh, you know my love language,” Wooyoung laughed over to San and scooped out a bite to try it. “This is delicious,” he spoke behind his hand.  
San smiled proudly, “You know, you always feel like my kid when you’re over here with us, eating my food.”  
“We’re the same age..?” Wooyoung gestured between the three of them before scooping out another bite and shoveling it in.  
“And you’d never guess it,” Yeosang teased him, eating much more properly from his smaller piece of the bake.  
“I could just visit my parents if I wanted to be insulted all morning,” Wooyoung glared at the two of them.

But the kitchen was full of warm love and laughter while they ate. Wooyoung picked out a cinnamon roll for dessert. Breakfast dessert was a thing, right? And moved off into the family room with Yeosang and San, more than ready to play scribe while Yeosang threw out ideas. They were working on a Christmas Eve dinner that would be held in the town hall. Yeosang already knew what he wanted it to look like and be, but he still liked to hear the approval of his friend and husband.

“It’s sounding so beautiful Yeo,” Wooyoung sighed, sitting back to finish up his cinnamon roll and daydream about how pretty the decorations would be. “You’re going to make another memory. Even better than last year’s.”   
Yeosang tried to play down the compliments, but really he was beaming for them.  
“You two are the only reason anything interesting happens in this place. Every town needs resident gays,” Wooyoung laughed.  
“Oh, what? You mean you don’t love getting excited about harvesting farms, and hunting season?” San chimed in.  
“I mean.. No,” Wooyoung tried and failed to find something good about it, laughing. “You two are the only reason I stay too. If not for you guys, I’d have moved out of this place years ago.”  
“Doesn’t your job keep you here at all?” San asked him.  
“Yeah. But let’s face it, I can be hospital reception for literally any hospital. It’s not the kind of job that has me rooted.”  
“So what are you saying?” Yeosang asked with a smirk, “That you’re planning to run away on us?”  
“I’m just saying!” Wooyoung laughed. “If some intelligent handsome stranger showed up here, I’d jump him and leave you two in the dirt.”  
San laughed at him. “Good thing the only people who move here are retirees.”  
“I’m not against putting out for an older guy,” Wooyoung made a ‘so there’ face at San.  
“Okay, that’s where I’d put my foot down. You are not allowed to put out for older guys,” Yeosang laughed. “You’re beautiful, you can find someone your own age, or closer, at least.”  
“I don’t know about that, but okay. If you’re defending my honor, I accept.” Wooyoung nodded, eating the last bite of his cinnamon roll.  
“You know both Yeo and I have to approve of any guy you date,” San smiled.  
“Yeah, you guys really are like my parents,” Wooyoung laughed and got up for the kitchen to wash his dishes. When he came back he started to gather his things, seeing that look on San and Yeosang like it was time to give them some personal time, or risk having to watch them kiss and feel like how dare they. “So we’re set? I’ll make the calls to the decoration wholesalers?” That was normally his job, Yeosang didn’t trust him with the catering since he’d forgotten to order rolls one year.  
“Yes, perfect,” Yeosang agreed and got up to give his best friend a tight hug. “Thank you for coming.”  
“I always show up for a food bribe,” Wooyoung laughed it off, stepping in for San’s hug too after he’d gathered his things.  
“You’re going to love what I’m putting in the bakery for the season,” San hinted but wouldn’t tell him anymore.  
“Oh you’re evil. Stealing all my money, and my best friend like this,” Wooyoung laughed and waved goodbyes to them as he set out back home.

He’d known Yeosang since grade school, his first and only best friend. San had come along after Yeosang went to university. The two of them hitting it off, and Yeosang convincing San to move into small town hell hole, with the hopes of the town taking off into a niche market boom. Wooyoung still wasn’t convinced that was going to happen, but he had to admit his friend had done a lot for their home town. And as much as he’d prefer to leave it in the dust, Yeosang had really made it shine with a classic Christmas movie town feel, even in summer. He couldn’t help a small pinch of jealousy over Yeosang and San’s love, wishing he’d actually been brave enough to leave home and go to university like Yeosang had. Maybe he could have met someone that felt right. He scoffed at the thought as he parked in the driveway of the condo his parent’s owned and let him stay in rent free. “Nothing fun ever happens in this town, for me,” he muttered on his way up to the door.

Wait. He stepped back off the porch to look down the street again. Was that a mover truck?


	2. Ch 2

“You guys!” Wooyoung instantly called San and Yeosang to report on the fresh take happening across the street and a house down from him.   
“Do you really miss us already?” San trolled, coming into view on the video call.  
Yeosang replaced San’s image in the screen, “Seriously. You didn’t forget anything. I made sure of it.” Because Wooyoung had in the past and whined until Yeosang gave in to come deliver. That was not going to happen again.  
“Shut up,” Wooyoung whined at them, giving them both a look.  
Yeosang had moved his way to sit in San’s lap, both their faces in view now as they waited for the news. “Then what?” They both chimed, giving each other a knowing look at their jinx and San bumped his head to Yeosang’s.  
“God, can you guys stop being gross?” Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Anyway,” he huffed. “There’s someone moving in. You know that house on my block, the bigger one that’s been vacant for a while since the Lee’s passed. Bless their souls.”  
“Oh!” San chimed. “Is it someone young and sexy?”  
“I haven’t seen anyone, but I’m setting up shop at my bedroom window right now,” Wooyoung showed his setup of snacks and even a pair of binoculars near a comfy chair in his room at the window.   
“You’re so damn creepy,” Yeosang laughed, but he loved that about his friend. Even his husband could be like that from his view of people that stopped into Loaf and Batter. Stalkers, the two of them.  
“I knew you wouldn’t understand, but San totally gets it,” Wooyoung laughed as his friend nodded his understanding.  
“What?” San smirked at the look Yeosang was giving him. “It’s a small town, okay. This is the only entertainment we get. Ever since that one lady moved away.”  
“Oh yeah,” Wooyoung grinned. “That one that claimed to be an actress and ended up sleeping with almost every gross, single guy here.”  
“And some that weren’t single,” San rolled his eyes.  
Yeosang shook his head. “I need to give you two more things to do.”  
“But yeah,” Wooyoung sighed and flopped into the chair. “There’s no one interesting yet. I think it’s just the movers so far. That’s all I can see anyway.”  
“Knowing our luck it’s just some older people looking for a scenic retirement spot.” San lamented.  
“I don’t know. I have a good feeling about this one. Maybe it’s a younger family members of the Lee’s that finally came to claim the inheritance,” Wooyoung raised his brows.  
“Hey though, keep us posted,” San said. “But you interrupted us being gross, and I want to do more of that, so bye,” he waved at Wooyoung. Yeosang laughed and waved too, saying his goodbyes and ending the call so Wooyoung wouldn’t have to see what happened next.

“Ew,” Wooyoung scoffed and dropped his phone into the side of the chair he was in. Within reach in case anything exciting developed. He really did have a different feeling about this. Usually when it was older people moving in, they were there before the movers to supervise everything. Wooyoung had once had some yard work down by a crew, and uninvited elderly members of his neighborhood had taken it upon themselves to be foremen. No. This was definitely different, and exciting. Who even moved in the winter? This person was definitely strange.

He pulled the blanket from the back of the chair to wrap around himself. With nothing going on in his life, his free time could be spent like a suspicious old lady. Opening a bag of chips, he popped a couple into his mouth and lifted the binoculars to his eyes. The moving crew were kind of sexy, if he let his mind wander. Listen to him, the moving crew. God he was desperate. He tried to focus on the furniture being moved in instead. Everything seemed so disappointingly normal, not a coffin or sarcophagus in the mix, so this new family weren’t vampires or mummies. By the sixth normal piece of furniture coming off the truck, he’d lost interest and picked up his phone to thumb through some world news and play mindless games. And it wasn’t much longer after that he’d fallen asleep in his comfy chair.

Waking in the middle of the night to lights coming in his window, Wooyoung blinked angrily awake, then perked up when he remembered what he’d been doing. The lights were from the moving trucks, and their engines rumbled to life as they drove away, their jobs done. Wooyoung didn’t trust his eyes, grabbing his binocs to survey the house again. There was absolutely nothing interesting. And absolutely no one at home. No cars, no lights. The basement had windows and no lights were shining from them either. He’d expected at least a car in the driveway of the new owner, and was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe it was one of those, the movers got there first, then the owner showed up a few days later kind of moves. The kind only the richest of his family would bother affording. The new person is probably loaded, his mind wandered. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he hoped the owner would be a hot guy, some eye candy at least in this town would be greatly appreciated.

Giving up on seeing anyone interesting for now, he hauled himself out of his chair and down to his kitchen for a late dinner. Maybe tomorrow someone would show up at the house. But tomorrow was a busy day for him, of sending emails and ordering online for Yeosang’s Christmas. Hopefully he’d catch glimpses between tasks.

But Monday, and his actual job rolled around, with still no movement from the house. It bugged him all day in his moments of silence between checking people in for appointments. Who would just move stuff into a house, but not come live there? And his overactive imagination had him convinced by lunch that the new person was in witness protection. An obvious narc for a drug ring, and the family had caught on to it, and now wanted him dead, so he had to move to a no-one-cares town with a new identity.

Stepping into Loaf and Batter for lunch and a reprieve from his wildly grinding mind, Wooyoung was instantly hit with the sweet scent of frosted eclairs and fresh baked pumpkin loaf cakes. Fresh bread, savory spices, and even hints of fresh cut fruits for the tops of tarts filled him up with happiness as he took in a deep breath, completely forgetting his thoughts about the activity in the old house on his street. Sourdough wafted to him as a customer left and he instantly knew he needed a cup of soup and a slice of that delicious bread for lunch.

Just sitting down with his lunch, he’d barely picked up his spoon to try the soup when he heard San.  
“Oh my god, Wooyoung,” San called, rushing to take a seat next to him. “Did you see him? Tell me you’ve seen him.”  
“What? Who? Seen who?” Wooyoung stared.  
“The new guy! Oh god, you haven’t seen him. He’s gorgeous. I swear. Breathtaking. I saw every woman stare at him, and I think some of the straight guys suddenly questioned everything.”  
Wooyoung laughed and took a bite of soup. “I can tell you’re lying. You just want me to feel better or whatever. He’s some old guy.”  
“I shit you not, Wooyoung. I will find you the damn security footage to prove it,” San was serious too, getting up from his seat to head that way, but Wooyoung caught his wrist.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, baby. Seriously. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve seen since Yeosang. If Yeosang were into open, I would have thrown myself at him.”  
Wooyoung laughed at that and urged San to sit down again. “First of all. How the hell did you see him before me when I’ve been watching that place like a hawk. Second of all, holy shit I’m jealous. Did you get to serve him or did one of your kids do it?”  
“Yeah, one of the guys got him, but I won’t even lie I was side staring him the whole time. He’s tall, black shiny hair, smooth skin. He dresses like a prince compared to the jeans and maybe a button down, around here. He looks expensive. No joke.”  
“Damn, so way out of my, living off my parent’s kindness, league.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes around his next bite of soup.  
San wasn’t going to feed into that kind of talk. “Hopefully you can see him tonight after you finish your shift.”  
“I still kinda don’t believe you,” Wooyoung laughed.  
“I get it. I don’t believe he’s real either.”  
  
When Wooyoung got home, he was still skeptical about the randomness of a ridiculously hot guy moving in on his block. Something had to be off, and his witness protection story felt even more real after San’s descriptions. A tall dark stranger that dressed like a prince definitely didn’t belong here, and certainly wasn’t in Wooyoung’s mind when he’d hoped for some eye candy. He was thinking rugged good looks for a small town, not just stepped out of a palace.

Surprise, surprise, the house still looked empty as he got out of his own car. It wasn’t improbable that the new guy actually parked in his garage and didn’t use it for storage like the rest of the people in town. Barely evening hours and already dark, Wooyoung was in a hurry to get inside before he got too cold out here. Getting to his door, he turned the key and listened to the urge to look back before entering his home. Flashing lights from the backyard, illuminated the snow and created an inviting glow. Wooyoung felt himself turning toward the lights to get a better look, closing the door of his condo again. “Of course. Of all the things I didn’t think. He’s an alien,” he muttered to himself, as he entered the territory of trespasser, stepping into the new guy’s yard. He inched closer to the back fence line, the flashing lights still drawing his attention. They were colored, red then pink, blues and yellows. It was probably just Christmas lights, but who decorated the back of their house only? And Wooyoung could hear something like, crackling firewood?

“Can I help you?” A low voice asked to his right. Wooyoung nearly screamed, his heart instantly racing as he reeled back, directly into a compositing pile, falling on his butt.


	3. Ch 3

Graceful, he thought to himself and started to get up, helped by the warm hand of the stranger on his arm. He was almost afraid of what he’d see, taking his time to brush leaves and snow off his pants. “Sorry, this is so embarrassing,” he muttered as he brushed. When he finally got the courage to look up into the stranger’s face, he sucked in a deep breath. Holy shit he was gorgeous. San wasn’t kidding. Was that jawline even legal, and the perfect line of his nose, his hair caught every glint and glean of those twinkling colors from his backyard. Wooyoung’s knees were going weak again as he stared, cheeks suddenly hot.  
“Are you okay? Let me bring you inside,” the stranger said, reaching to take Wooyoung’s hand and lead him away inside.  
“No, really. I live right over there,” he paused their walking and pointed vaguely, “I was just curious about the new neighbor. Hello awkward first meeting.” He really couldn’t take his eyes off of him now that he could see him and his ridiculously perfect face. “Those eyes are incredible,” he said out loud and once he realized, clapped his hand over his mouth. “No, the lights,” he forced himself to look to the backyard instead, swallowing hard.  
The stranger only smirked at him, letting go of his hand and crossing his arms as he listened to the quick explanations, trying not to laugh. “Really, it’s no trouble. I just put some hot cocoa on, I’m happy to share a mug. I feel badly for scaring you into my garbage piles.”  
Wooyoung shook his head, drawn to look into that pretty face again, and took in the sweater he had on, cream colored and expensive. But god it made him look so soft. “It’s no trouble, my fault really.” He paused as his senses came back to him. “Wait, are you gardening? In the winter?” He shook his head at himself before the stranger could answer. “Wait. Sorry. Hello, I’m Wooyoung,” he offered out his hand for a other. “I’m your neighbor, from that condo there,” he pointed with his other hand.  
“Seonghwa,” the stranger told him as he took his hand, smiling politely for the handshake.  
His hands were so warm, Wooyoung had to look away from that smile too. And Seonghwa hadn’t let go yet.  
Seonghwa gave his hand a gentle tug. “Do you want some cocoa?” He offered again, and smiled when Wooyoung finally took him up on the offer.  
The inside of the house smelled like fresh cut pine trees and ripe oranges. It was dark inside except for the welcoming light coming from the kitchen. Wooyoung felt warmed from the inside out as he took his shoes off.   
“You’ll have to forgive the boxes everywhere. I haven’t had time to put things away yet.” Seonghwa said as he led the way inside to the kitchen. There was a table there with four chairs and Seonghwa gestured for Wooyoung to have a seat while he brought over two mugs and poured them the promised hot cocoa. Seonghwa took the seat at the head of the table and crossed his legs.  
Wooyoung instantly felt out of place, even just sitting near him. Seonghwa felt, otherworldly. Compared to his three year old, washed over a hundred times sweater, which he hid his hands in nervously. “Thank you, it gets cold fast out there. Sun going down sooner and all,” god he hated small talk and he took a sip of his cocoa so he wouldn’t have to anymore.  
“My pleasure, truly. And to answer your question, yes I am doing a little gardening in the winter. I really can’t stand messes, and the yard here needs about three years of work,” he smiled and sipped his own cocoa.   
Oh, yeah. If he can’t stand messes, so much for me, Wooyoung scoffed at his thought and looked up, shaking his head so Seonghwa wouldn’t think he meant him. “Did you hang Christmas lights? Only, I saw these flashes of light.”  
Seonghwa only laughed with a shake of his head.  
Alright, mystery for some other time. “So, did you find work here, are you inheriting, what brings you, well, here?” Wooyoung made a face as he looked around. “Oh god, I meant the town, the house is lovely,” he reached across the table at him, overcompensating for his awkward and making it awkwardly worse.  
Seonghwa laughed again.  
His laugh is even musical. Who is this guy?  
“No,” Seonghwa said. “I understand the curiosity. Honestly, that’s why I’m here. I’m curious as well. There’s so much folklore someone can learn in these small towns.”  
“Folklore? Like fairy tales? We don’t really have any that started here. Wouldn’t you be better off in Germany?”  
“It’s a common misconception. I won’t hold it against you,” Seonghwa winked at him. “Folklore as in, your legend trips. Your secret handshakes and languages. School yard rhymes, or funny lyrics to popular tunes. Your textiles, like the specific pattern a grandmother uses to quilt that’s passed on through countless generations. It’s all part of your culture and folklore. And that’s my work. I’m a folklorist.”  
Wooyoung felt impossibly dumber listening to all of that. “Who knew we had a culture here,” he laughed and sipped his cocoa. Still, this house, and him. He didn’t look like someone who just studied people and what they did. There had to be more to the story. He had to be a trust fund baby. And there, maybe Wooyoung would have something in common with him.  
“I’m in the middle of researching a book. I’ve visited a few towns in the process.”  
“Visited? So this is just you visiting?” Wooyoung couldn’t help looking a little disheartened at that.   
“Possibly,” Seonghwa smiled at the thought and took a sip of cocoa. “Maybe you can help me. I take it you’re a local, by your attitude to this place?”  
“Born and raised. And mostly hate it here,” Wooyoung laughed. “But yeah. If you need a guide. I can show you historic places.”  
“I would like that a lot. Thank you, Wooyoung.”  
“Yeah, sure thing. Uhm, if you need help unpacking…” He trailed off, hoping that didn’t sound as bad as it sounded.  
“Oh, I couldn’t burden a new friend with that,” Seonghwa laughed.  
Damn, no chance to snoop through his stuff then. “No, yeah, of course.” Wooyoung laughed. “Well. I heard you already know the best spot in town for coffee and treats. Loaf and Batter. It’s run by one of my best friends, San. And his husband Yeosang is putting together this Christmas Eve dinner and social, I know already you’re invited to that. Everyone in town is,” he smiled at Seonghwa. “I have a direct line to the person who orders the food, so if you have something special in mind,” he raised his brows playfully.  
“Oh, I’m sure anything presented will be amazing,” Seonghwa nodded to Wooyoung and finished up his cocoa, setting the mug aside.  
Wooyoung felt like he should do the same and took a big sip. “This is amazing. I need your recipe.” He laughed. “And I don’t want to keep you. You’ve been very kind. Uhh, sorry again for snooping, not a lot happens around here.” He laughed more shyly this time.  
Seonghwa was still smiling and he shook his head. “I understand. And I’m used to it. Smaller towns usually give me this kind of attention,” he laughed.  
Wooyoung laughed with him and stood up, finding his way back to the front door, Seonghwa following along behind him. “Oh, do you want my number, so we can set up times for tour guiding? What did you call it, legend tripping?” He laughed.  
Seonghwa nodded and held out his hand for Wooyoung’s phone. “Good idea.” He put in his contact info when Wooyoung handed him the device and smiled as he handed it back to him.  
“Great. I’ll text you!” Wooyoung said, trying not to sound too eager, or like he’d won the lottery he felt like he’d won. He got his shoes back on and let himself out, giving Seonghwa a wave goodbye.


End file.
